This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-357444 filed on Nov. 22, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle air conditioner with a foot air-outlet structure for blowing conditioned air toward a passenger""s foot area in a passenger compartment.
2. Description of Related Art
In a vehicle air conditioner shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, an air conditioning case 111 is disposed in a passenger compartment on a front side at an approximate center in a vehicle width direction, and a heater core 113 for heating air is disposed in the air conditioning case 111. Right and left foot openings 125 through which conditioned air (mainly warm air) is introduced toward a foot area in the passenger compartment are provided, respectively, in right and left side surfaces of the air conditioning case 111. Further, the right and left foot opening portions 125 are connected to right and left foot air ducts 131, so that conditioned air is blown from the foot air outlets 131a, 131b at lower ends of the foot air ducts 131. However, in the air conditioning case 111, conditioned air having passed through the heater core 113 flows from an upper side of the heater core 113 downwardly as shown by the arrow A in FIGS. 8 and 9, and flows into the foot openings 125 opened in the right and left side surfaces. Thereafter, conditioned air flows into the foot air ducts 131 from the foot openings 125. Because a tilt surface is formed in each foot air duct 131, conditioned air introduced into the foot air duct 131 collides with the tilt surface so that the flow direction of conditioned air is turned downwardly as shown by the arrow B in FIG. 8. That is, in the vehicle air conditioner shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, because the flow direction of conditioned air turns by right angle at two positions, flow resistance of conditioned air flowing into the foot air outlets 131a, 131b is increased, and a flow amount of conditioned air blown toward the foot area in the passenger compartment is relatively reduced. Further, because conditioned air is blown from the foot air outlets 131a, 131b after colliding with the tilt surface of the foot duct 131, conditioned air cannot be uniformly blown toward the foot area in each of right and left seat sides. For example, conditioned air tends to flow toward the left side of the foot area in a right seat, and tends to flow toward the right side of the foot area in the left seat.
In view of the above-described problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle air conditioner in which a flow distribution of conditioned air blown toward a foot area can be made uniform in each of right and left seats of a passenger compartment while a flow resistance of conditioned air to be blown toward the foot area can be reduced.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner which can be readily mounted on a vehicle while conditioned air is uniformly blown toward the foot area in each of the right and left seats of the passenger compartment.
According to the present invention, in a vehicle air conditioner, an air conditioning case for defining an air passage has a wall surface extending in a vehicle width direction, the wall surface has an air opening portion at an upper side position, from which air in the air conditioning case is taken out toward a lower side in the passenger compartment. In the air conditioner, an air duct defining a foot passage through which air from the air opening portion flows toward the lower side of the passenger compartment is connected to the wall surface at the air opening portion to communicate with the air opening portion, and has right and left tilt portions that extend downwardly to be tilted toward right and left sides in the vehicle width direction. The right and left tilt portions have lower end openings used as foot air outlets from which air introduced into the air duct is blown toward the lower side in the passenger compartment. Accordingly, conditioned air flows from the air opening portion at the upper side position of the wall surface downwardly toward the right and left sides along the air duct, and is blown toward the foot area of the passenger compartment from the air outlets. Thus, air can be uniformly distributed to the right and left sides of the foot area in each front seat of the passenger compartment, and air flow resistance can be reduced.
Preferably, the air opening portion is provided in the wall surface at an upper side of a heating heat exchanger to be elongated in an entire area of the air conditioning case in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the air flow resistance can be further reduced, and air can be smoothly introduced into the air duct through the air opening portion.
When the air conditioning case is disposed at an approximate center in the vehicle width direction at a front portion in the passenger compartment such that air flows in the air conditioning case from a vehicle front side toward a vehicle rear side, the wall surface is a rear side surface of the air conditioning case. In this case, conditioned air can be readily flows into the air duct, and the air flow resistance can be further reduced.
Preferably, the air duct has a connection portion connected to the wall surface to communicate with the air opening portion. Further, the right and left tilt portions are connected to the connection portion, and are branched from each other to be tilted toward the right and left sides relative to a vertical direction. Therefore, conditioned air can be smoothly flows through the air duct toward the foot area of the passenger compartment. Thus, air can be uniformly blown toward the foot area without increasing the size of the vehicle air conditioner.